Chicken Marsala

Lately, I’ve been really trying to let my weekends be RELAXING. Maybe it’s because it’s the summer, and I feel like the stigma is that you should have a restful summer. Regardless of the reason, I have been trying not to make too big of a production of my weekends.

I’ve been lounging at the beach, having mellow drinking nights with friends (as opposed to ragers), scheduling a couple swim lessons here and there (instead of seventeen in two days) and trying not to cook feasts Friday-Sunday.

Not that I don’t cook on the weekends, I just try to keep it mellow.

But, I let all that go out the window on Sunday.

My brother Josh and the USA Junior National Water Polo Team left yesterday for their trip to the Junior World Games in Greece with a training stop before hand in Montenegro.

A bunch of the out of town boys had been staying out at our house and my Mom and I thought it would be a great idea to have one last meal before they left the country.

And how could I resist the opportunity to cook a feast for new mouths!

Duh, I couldn’t.

I can’t decide if I have no self control, or two much control?

It doesn’t really matter. This was delicious, they loved it, and I can’t wait to see them in nine days in Volos, Greece.

Start by putting the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them. Pound them with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Or if you are lazy like me you can buy already thin chicken breasts and call it a day.

Put some flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly.

Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet.

When the oil is nice and hot, dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess.

Slip the cutlets into the pan and fry for 5 minutes on each side until golden, turning once – do this in batches if the pieces don't fit comfortably in the pan.

Remove the chicken to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.

Lower the heat to medium and add the prosciutto to the drippings in the pan, and sauté for 1 minute to render out some of the fat.

Make sure not to leave your prosciutto in clumps (like I did).

Add the mushrooms and sauté until they are nicely browned and their moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the Marsala in the pan and boil down for a few seconds to cook out the alcohol.

Add the chicken stock and simmer for a minute to reduce the sauce slightly.

Stir in the butter and return the chicken to the pan; simmer gently for 1 minute to heat the chicken through.

Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.